Towing apparatus.



WILLIAM I. TARRANT, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI; FRIEDA TARRANT ADMINISTRATRIX OF SAID WILLIAM l. TABRANT, DECEASED.

TOWING- APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dial. 18, 17919.

Application filed July 22, 1918. Serial No. 246,179.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM P. TAR- RANT, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new yand useful Imp-rovements in Towing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to improvements in towing apparatus, and has for its object to provide mechanical equipment for tug-andtow service adapted to inland or ocean duty, in which the pull ofthe tug is carried by direct tensile medium throughout a series of towed vessels, and in which either of a series of towed vessels may be disengaged from the tug or traction vessel without disturbing the remainder of the tow, when necessary forpurposes of jettison, unloading, or safety. v

. In applying the tractive power to the tow, my invention is intended to have the pull directed along the median line of each 'of the towed vessels by means of a main towline connecting with a bar or shaft mounted in or on each of the towed vessels; said bar or. shaft beingof approximately the same length as the towed vessel whereon Yit is mounted. Said shaft also is adapted to resist the abnormal stresses incident to wave surges and the like, by reason of its forming of itself, in connection with its mountings, a shock-absorber or surge-reliever. HTo that end the bar or shaft is equipped with piston heads mounted in fluid-containing cylinders, said cylinders being provided with the usual relief means 'to prevent the bursting. of the cylinder under excessive pressure upon or accidental loss of itsfluid contents.

As one of the primary objects of myl invention is `to provide for deep-sea towing, and as either in war-or peace conditions any one of a series 'of towed vessels may become soin'jured as to necessitate its removal from the main towline, I-provide connecting or coupling means between the said shafts carried by the towed vessels, andthe main towline, which permit the main towline to be cast olf as to such vessel as may be desired. To that end the main'towline is equipped with sections of auxiliary towline, each auxiliary section being attached to the main towline at points beyond. the extremities of fone of the towed vesselsA Fig. 2 is an enlarged view in vertical midi section of one of the two shock-absorbing or surge-relieving mechanisms with which each of the towed vessels is equipped.

In the drawings, the tug or traction vessel is indicated by the numeral 3, and has mounted thereon the shock-:absorber 1l, comprising cylinder 5, shaft 6, and piston 6', mounted on said shaft 6.

The main towline is indicated by the numeral 7, yand .the towed vessels as 8-8. An auxiliary towline 9 is secured to the main towline 7 by clamps 10-10. One of said auxiliary lines 9 is provided foreach of the tows 8, and is of a greater length than the tow, as shown, in order that it'may act as a section of the main towline 7 whenever the towed vessel 8 which it encircles is disconnected and cast oif fro-m the said main towline 7.

A. main bar or shaft 11 is provided for each of the vessels 8. Said shaft 11 extend-s from endto end of the vessel 8 whereon it is mounted, and toward each of its ends said shaft 11 is providedk with a piston 12, seated in a cylinder 13. At itsextremity the shaft 11 is connected to the clamp 14 by a coupling pinr15, or equivalent means, the clamp 14 being mounted upon the main towline 7 as shown.

The cylinder 13, fording resistance'to the movement of piston 12, is provided with fluid. The fluid in the end of the cylinder 13 nearest to that end of the vessel 8 which Vit abuts, will preferably be denser than the fluid used in the opposite or inner endy of said cylinder 13. Thus, in Fig. 2, the portion 16 of the cylinder 13 will probably be oil filled, while the compartment'17 may bev filled with air or any other fluid ofk less density than the oil contained in the chamber 16. The liquid in the compartment 16 will be subjected to the pressure of the piston 12 whenever the forward progress of the vessel 8 is impeded by waves, or the like, and to relieve against excessive pressure I have provided the outlet pipe 18, in which is seated the valve 19, said outlet pipe 18 connecting with the dome for theipurpose of afment 'of which the finger 23 will be actuated,r`

through its connections, to operate the valve 19. The. functionof these parts is to maintain the piston 12 in approximately the position indicated in Fig. 2,finzwhich-f the pis-`4V ton 12 is approximately 'at fthe center of its' possible limitation of stroke in the cylinder 13,1and the trips25-25 are out` ofcontact with the finger 23,;the` valve 19 then being open, allo-wing free communication.between the.. auxiliary chamber 20 ,and Y the comp artment 16.. Any sufficient.forwardfmovement of the shaft 11 will cause ,the rear` trip 25to contact with thefingerr 23 and ycause the valve 19 `to be rotatedwithout interrupting communication between the compartment 16 andfauxiliary; kchamber 2O the .returnvInovement ofthe shaft 11 releasing said rear tri-p 25 from contact with the finger-23, when the block` 24' has reached approximately the position indicated fin Fig. 2y f, continued rearward movement of-.the shafti A11i serving to bring the forward trip 25 in contact with ,the finger V23,- its 'ladjustmentbeing VSnohas ito close the valve 19-when the. fluid content1 of the compartment .16. has .beeny .f replenished fromthe auxiliary .chamber 20.15;v Y

. Excessive'v pressureI in the `compu'tment:17 will be .accommodatedby'the relief valve 26, the intake valve 27 serving to admit a fresh supply of `fluid to` compartment 17 when necessary. v

It will'be understoodthat the mechanism thus described, asy shown in Fig.` 2, is a duplicate ofthe mechanism at the. opposite endV of the same vessel, as indicated in Fig. 1.- It will be further understoodthat this mechanism is disposed along the median line of the vessel 8, vand I have -indicated'by means of the base-plates 28, vertical standards 29, .and truss yrods 30, elements whereby the said mechanism is not; only mounted -in aline'ment with ythe keel 31, butis :directly'attached thereto, for -vpur-poses of securing strength .and conveying the pull ofthe tractionvessel 3 jdirectly to vand along .the line of the keel 31. I yam'aware that kin the Yartfof-.towingg surge-relievers or tensionbuifers-iliave been employed, fand I "disclaim thejnvention. yof such .mechanism lin a broad sense; .myinven- .tionvbeing ,directed to `providiI-lg means, for a direct pull throughoutthe Aentire :length yof a main vtowline,connecting a serieso-f tows to its tug or tractor; a mechanism,of-myV invention `conveying they pull of. thetractor, directly along ,thextowl-inethroughout its entire lencgfth, from the shaftl on ,the-,tractoryessel to thershaft slidablyvmountednpon the rear.- mOSt-ofthe-@Walvesselsthetovlne and the SertieSaOflgShaftS practically .forming-.e .mit which is substantially independent of the various towed vessels in conveying its pull; the connection vbetween this unit and the varil oustowedfvesselsbeing only suflicientlto pull 'vessels In addition to which, my invention guardsA against the condition which arises when either of a Vseries of towed vessels is so injured as to necessitate its sinking, or removal from the tow as a whole. This I accomplish by means of the ,auxiliary towline and means for disconnecting the injured vessel .from the main townline, which I have above described.y f

Thedispositi0n of the cylinders 13, as I have. described them, .provides for. extraordinary shocks occuringbetween the tug and the lineof towed vessels, and between the towed vessels themselves, in storms or rough weather, and serves to obviate, up to thelim'- Y its of thetensile strength at which the main towline? and. the barsv 11 may beconstructed, the rupture or snappingpof the main towline, whichis now an ever-present dangerin deepsea towingby la singlevtug,.and a practical bar to the towing of more than one vessel by asingle tug. The seriesfofshafts 11', con structed and. mounted as I have described,

serves to neutralize the snapping stresses to whichthe mainy ,towlineis subjected by the various, movementsto which towedvessels are subjected in rough seas.k l L The-form of myy invention illustrated` in the drawings is not .of theessenceof my invention, whose broad purposes, Yand the wide range, of equivalent mechanisms, which may be employed without departingfrom my invention, are obviousl fromY the foregoingv de.- scriptlon. Y i

Havinglthus described my invention, whatV I claim as new anddesire 4to have secured `to me herein are: Y

1. In a towing apparatus, a towed vessel.; a shaft longitudinally and slidably mounted thereon, and yof approximately the same length a, kon said shaft; and Va lluid-filled .cylinder wherein thesaid piston head ismounted 2. Ina towing apparatus, `a towed vessel; a shaft longitudinally and slidably mounted thereon, and of length as j said vessel; hawser Vcoupling mounted on the; extremities of said shaft; a ,pistonfhead V,mnmted on said shaft.;V 'and/a Afluidflilled cylinder wherein .the Asaid. piston Yheard is mounted.. Y f

3. VIn ya .towingapparatus incombination, a traction-vessel; a series of'towed vessels,;. ,a shaftof approximately the same. lengtlras that of the towed vessel,longitudinallyfand yieldingly mounted uponeachfofY said towed vessels;` couplers mounted upon the extrem? ties of each'of said,fsli afts';- afmain towline Asaid vessel; a piston head-mounted Vapproximately g the samev isoY each other and with the traction vessel; and a plurality of auxiliary towlines, each mounted on the main towline at points beyond the extremities of one of the towed Vessels; and means for disconnecting either of said towed vessels Jfrom the said main towline.

4. In a towing apparatus, the combination of a traction Vessel; a traction element secured to said traction vessel and comprising a duid-containing cylinder, a piston slidably mounted in said cylinder, and a traction bar mounted in said piston; a series of towed vessels; a shaft of approximately the same length as that of the towed ves- Copies of this patent may 'ne obtained for iive cents each, by addressing the sel, longitudinally and yieldingly mounted upon each of said towed vessels; couplers mounted upon the extremities of each of said shafts; a main towline connecting the series of towed vessels with each other and with the traction Vessel; and a plurality of auxiliary towlines, each mounted on the main towline at points beyond the extremities of one of the towed vessels; and means for disconnecting either of said towed vessels from the said main towline. A

In testimony whereof I hereunto ai'Iix my signature.

IVILLIAM P. TARRANT. l

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

